Cranes are
aggressive birds! Each youngster comes to know its place: that is, who
it can "boss around" and who bosses it around!

Chicks
in CaptivityThese chicks live in a big flock and are taught to accept
the many other baby cranes who are not related to them. There's
plenty of food for all of them, but they still need to sort out who's
top dog — or rather, top bird. As soon as every chick knows exactly
where it fits in the "pecking order" — from the least
to most dominant — there is no need for fighting when a conflict
comes up.

Chicks
in the WildChicks
in the wild don't hang out in big groups. They may have one sibling. If
they do, there's still a pecking order! If two baby cranes in a nest survive
hatching, the larger one — which was born first
— will kill or dominate the other. If the smaller one lives,
it knows to stay out of the way of its sibling!